As we continue our God’s Call In Your Life – Part 3: Called or Driven? focus, we turn today to the New Testament and a couple whose drive to be recognized, while attempting to deceive the Apostles and the church cost them their lives. We find the account of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5: But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. 2He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest. 3Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. 4The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!” 5As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified. 6 Then some young men got up, wrapped him in a sheet, and took him out and buried him. 7About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Was this the price you and your husband received for your land?” “Yes,” she replied, “that was the price.” 9And Peter said, “How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too.” 10Instantly, she fell to the floor and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened. Acts 5:1-11 Wow. As Peter said to Ananais his sin was not in keeping back a portion of the proceeds of his house for himself and his wife, but in letting sin drive him to lie and perpetrate the deception. Instead, of receiving the recognition they hoped to receive for their “sacrifice,” the Holy Spirit exposed the deception and the couple died. While the consequence of their drivenness seems extreme to us, when the report travelled through the church people understood the power of God and the importance of putting Him first, truly first, in our lives. As we’ve seen so far this week, whether it’s a drive for acceptance, power or recognition, drivenness that pushes us into sin is never acceptable to God. The consequences may be more or less severe, but the primary consequence of breaking our relationship with God and the ability to hear and respond to His call in our lives is of primary importance. As we go about our days, we must remember to put God first and when the temptation to let our human drives to lead instead of God’s call and will, we must call on the Holy Spirit to strengthen us to overcome the temptation. It’s vital to remember that temptation isn’t sin. It’s only a sin when we submit to the temptation and let sin rule in our lives. Nearly all the drivenness of our lives comes from the failure to resist temptation and to live according to God’s call.

Once again today, our application project is to review the Scripture we read and to consider what we may learn from the passage about how to overcome drivenness by asking ourselves what it was that caused Ananias and Sapphira to do the things they did that led them to turn away from God’s call in their lives. As we continue to go to God’s word and ask ourselves questions such as this we learn to seek God’s guidance both for what He calls us to do and what He calls us to avoid. In that way, as we go about our days we will be better equipped to resist the temptations and to carry out God’s will in every situation. Of course knowing what to do or what not to do is only the start. We must apply that knowledge in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for this extreme reminder that You know our hearts and what we are doing every moment! Fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I may bring You glory and honor by what I think, say and do today. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.